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How To Stop A Toddler From Hitting In 3 Simple Steps

Figuring out how to stop a toddler from hitting is no easy task! And if you are a first time mom, it’s even more shocking. Right up there with with potty training kids who won’t poop on the toilet and getting your toddler to stop whining.

How you help your child stop hitting will look different based on their age, but in this post I’m sharing our experience with our 3 kids around age 2.

Each of my kids went through an experimental toddler hitting and biting phase around 20 months. Instead of falling off my chair in shock that my perfect baby could do something so mean, I said, “It has begun” and got to work.

This is very normal, and I’m going to share how to stop it when you commit to addressing it every time. It should be a short lived problem, and over within a couple of months!

Hopefully you’ll find some tips to practice right away to stop you toddler from hitting, biting, and pushing that has worked for us with all 3 kids.

Your toddler understands you perfectly and is capable of learning self control

There is a lot of information out there about how much your child understands under age 2. As a first time parent I was often confused about how much my son could understand because he was a late talker.

I parent with the belief that kids can understand WAY more than we think before they can talk, and they can definitely understand tone and body language.

When my first was newly walking, I asked him to put a dirty shirt in the laundry basket. He couldn’t talk yet and I was curious to see if he could understand those directions.

He ran to the back of the hallway and did it! I realized I had been operating as though he couldn’t understand me…and letting a lot of behaviors slide.

My point here is that by the time your child starts hitting, they can understand most of what you say and you can use tone and facial expression to make your words more clear.

Why do toddlers hit?

These poor little guys, trying to communicate and figure out what they’re allowed to have control of.

I’ve seen my toddlers hit in frustration, because they want something, defending a toy from someone, to get food, to nurse, or when they didn’t get their way.

Unfortunately, sometimes your toddler may also be too tired, hungry, or overstimulated to show any kind of self control. You are not a bad mom if so! Promise.

I’ve had plenty of moments where we just had distract or simply get some food in a hungry toddler’s belly. Otherwise the world is crumbling and cannot be fixed. Start with the easy checklist of:

  • are they tired?
  • hungry?
  • overstimulated?

And how ironic that for me as a mom, those exact same things are MY own triggers! If I’m super tired or hungry ( “hangry” as my family calls it)….I’m also pretty prone to losing self control and not responding well.

If you’re not getting anywhere with telling your toddler to stop hitting you, it may be that you need to address those other factors first.

More toddler posts you may love

15 tips for parenting a strong willed toddler

20 awesome bath time toys for toddlers

Why we love Busy Toddler’s home preschool program

How to do a screen time freeze and get your kids to play again

How long does the toddler hitting phase last?

The hitting phase doesn’t last too long…but it won’t just go away on it’s own. You’ll have to work on it every time you see it or it might stay and get worse.

My kids have all started hitting somewhere between 18 months – 2 years. So if you have older kids, this exact method may not be the best for your situation.

The bad news is you won’t be off the hook by tomorrow. Or the next day.

The good news is, the hitting only lasted for about a month with each of our 3 kids. The earlier you catch it, the better!

And the more calm and consistent you are, the faster your toddler should understand what’s expected and develop self control.

You may also enjoy reading: Our routine with an 18 month old

Worried about your toddler hitting your new baby?

Another thing to note is that these changes can come right around the time parents have a new baby.

For us, our first spat with the toddler hitting stage was just after having our kids 18 months apart, and again with the next child while we were experiencing 3 kids under age 4.

No doubt there’s some kind of developmental timer. But I think it’s also hard for toddlers who want more attention AND independence but aren’t really getting as much as they’d like due to the new baby.

To help your toddler have good feelings toward the baby and avoid jealousy, let them snuggle the baby with you. Point out how much the baby loved it when they…(danced, were gentle, made the baby smile, etc).

I also tried to make an effort to spend a tiny bit of one on one time with my toddler each day. Simple things like reading with them on my lap or doing Play Doh at the table. The less I connected, the more I snapped.

How to get your toddler to stop hitting (3 basic steps)

Ok, here’s how we addressed it. Feel free to do what you think is best because you know your child better than anyone!

I’d also like to mention that with my 4th toddler, we encountered a new, but similar problem to hitting…pulling siblings’ hair. If this is an issue for you, be sure to read How We Got My Toddler To Stop Pulling Our Hair.

Step 1. Remove your toddler and tell them hitting is not safe.

If you’re a mom, you know that an 18 month or 2 year old has a tiny attention span. Which means you have to deal with hitting/biting/shoving that instant.

You can’t wait one minute. Or until you get home. Because they have already forgotten what you are talking about.

Remove them from the situation to talk to them, or hold them if needed.

When our kids have tried hitting or biting (usually sometime between 18 months – 2 years) we hold their arm and tell them, “No, you can’t hit. That’s not safe. Show me gentle.”

I use this phrase a LOT for about 1 month. Or until they see the new boundary and begin to learn (sometimes for the 1st time) what self control is.

Stay calm when your toddler hits you

Wait for their reaction. It might be tears, a full on tantrum, or they might try to squirm free to do it again.

They might be embarrassed or mad. Or they may just stare at you to see what you’re going to do.

Try to stay calm (hard, I know!) and just tell them what you expect in a plain tone. Don’t shame them, or give them a huge lecture.

But don’t let them keep doing it.

You also need to honestly assess your tone and reaction when your toddler tries to hit, bite, or punch.

Because if we are honest, toddlers can make our blood boil at times, and we are not always calm and in control of our own emotions as moms.

There’s a book for you called “Triggers” that will seriously help you identify what sends you over the edge and how to gain control of what triggers your anger!

If you are out of control, “ragey”, or scare them with your threatening voice…how can you expect them to different?

Step 2. Show them what to do instead of hitting.

Thanks to my smart husband’s advice, any time we tell our toddlers not to do something, we try to tell them what they CAN do so there is no confusion. Kids really do want to please us, so showing them how they can is really helpful I think.

My goal here is to model a gentle behavior for them, something they can copy or at least start to register is an ok reaction.

Sometimes this looks like:

  • Modeling your hand softly rubbing their arm. Since toddlers naturally copy what they see (eventually), you are teaching them what to do instead.
  • Waiting for a turn with the toy they want. If your toddler pushes or hits to get what he wants, it’s your job to show them that’s not acceptable. Make them wait till someone puts the toy down. If they continue to try and hit or take, don’t let them have the toy.
  • Teaching them to say please when they want something instead of hitting to get it. If your toddler can’t talk yet, you can easily teach them please in sign language! It’s simply rubbing a flat hand on their chest. This worked wonders for two of my less verbal kids.

What if your toddler hits another child?

I don’t have my kids practice “showing me gentle” to another kid if they hit, because often times they just need space or to be picked up.

And honestly, I’m afraid they’ll just go in for a second slam if I did if the emotions are still high.

I DO tell them the same thing as above, that we don’t hit and that hitting hurts. That they can ask for a turn and wait (if that seemed like the reason).

And remember, no parent is going to fault you that your toddler hit their kid IF you make an effort to deal with it.

What does bother other moms is if you don’t do a thing and let your toddler push or hit to get what they want.

Step 3. Praise them like crazy when they are gentle.

Never underestimate the power of clapping and cheering for a toddler desperate for attention when they show self control after trying to push or hit!

Your job in the moment is to keep your kid safe, others safe, and to be firm with what you expect of them.

So when my toddler calms down and copies me by gently rubbing my arm, I cheer for him and say, “That’s so nice! So gentle!”

Or if he just calms down and stops swinging his fists, I praise that too. “That’s better, thank you.”

You’re helping them to want to be gentle and kind just to get all that good attention.

Stay close by your toddler until they are no longer hitting

If there’s ever a time to be a helicopter parent, it’s when your toddler tries to hit or bite! It’s the fastest way to shut it down.

If your toddler just hit for the first time, or not, you have work to do! Expect they’ll try it again.

The fastest way to put an end to it is to catch it and correct it every single time. If that’s even possible.

As a stay at home mom, it’s a little bit easier because I’m with them all day. But I don’t see everything.

If you are not with them all day, you can still be consistent with your expectations when you are around.

Why we nap our kids through the toddler years and beyond:

Naps through the preschool years have helped my kids have more control over their emotions, which helps in the hitting phase too.

My friends always ask what magic fairy dust I use to get them to nap at x, y, and z ages. I don’t have any. I think naps have just been a pretty non negotiable part of our routine, with many nap strikes in between.

Here’s how we napped 3 kids at the same time when they were all really little.

I can usually tell when they are still needing naps because without one they become whiney and unable to control themselves by about 2 or 3pm. With a nap, everyone does better!

Currently the 4 and 6 year old still nap together in the same room. We do skip naps up to about half the week with their ages, and sub quiet time for the rest.

But if you find your 2 or 3 year old hitting or biting you and unable to have any self control…it really could be they are just tired.

How to teach your toddler to be more gentle

We have tried to teach the word “gentle” as soon as possible by showing them what gentle is with a hand on the arm or cheek while saying gentle.

Starting this, even around 1 years old, helps them to know what you do want from them when the hitting phase starts.

how to stop a toddler from hitting parents and other kids

An example of how I handled my toddler hitting me

My 3rd toddler first hit me (with a huge pout face) when he wanted to nurse after I said, “not now”. He didn’t get what he wanted and lashed out with emotion.

In this situation I couldn’t nurse, even if he did end up being polite.

That made it even harder because I couldn’t give him what he wanted, even if he was polite.

I held his hand while saying in a firm and serious voice, “We don’t hit. That hurts mama. Show me gentle.” And rubbed my chest lightly so he could see what I wanted.

He squirmed and tried to get free to do it again, now even more frustrated. I held him until he could calm down and show some self control. I kind of had to keep his arms in a hug so he wouldn’t hit.

At the first sign of him calming down, I said, “That’s better!” And I took his hand to lightly stroke my face saying something like, “that’s polite”. Or, “good boy”…I can’t remember what I said.

He did settle eventually.

No, I wasn’t able to nurse him just because he calmed down…he was still mad. But he wasn’t hitting me and that was a win.

Reasons toddlers hit

Once your precious angel lashes out and hits your chest or walks up to another toddler and whacks them, don’t panic. Or worry about other moms judging you.

Because 99.9% of them have probably had a kid who went through a hitting phase and felt clueless about what to do at first.

Hide the smoke that’s coming out of your nostrils. And think about why they might try hitting in that moment. Here’s a few reasons:

They are curious.

What will happen if I…(bite my sibling’s arm to get the toy or smack mom in the face).

They are upset.

These poor little things have to be taught how to handle emotions. What’s appropriate and what’s not isn’t obvious to them at first.

No self control.

Self control is not natural!

But it’s never too early to start teaching toddlers self control, even at 18 months! This is how a baby can be taught not to touch a light socket, or refrain from hitting you.

Need more attention.

Sometimes toddlers hit because they want you to pay attention to them! Hitting works to get your attention, right?

My experience is that it always goes well for me when I pay more attention to my kids than less…not saying I do it well or enough even as a stay at home mom.

Try praising them for dumb little things that are good, rather than saying mostly “no, stop that, don’t hit, put that down…” You get the idea. I’ve done it both ways and positive attention wins every time!

Over tired.

At some point with each toddler I’ve seen them hit because in all reality they NEED their nap.

If this is likely the reason, you just gotta get through it, try not to blame them, and it sucks.

They want what someone else has.

Toddlers have to be taught they can’t hit to get what they want. Maybe it’s a toy at the park.

If this happens, it’s really important that they don’t get what they were after unless they do what you ask. Like wait till the other toddler is done playing with it. Or say please, etc.

Should you discipline when a toddler hits?

I personally prefer using natural consequences with a toddler in the hitting stage.

  • If my toddler whacks my chest or hits me when he wants to nurse, I don’t let him nurse.
  • When he hits his sibling to get a toy, he cannot have a turn until he asks kindly (even if that’s saying please in sign language).
  • If he pushes a kid out of the way to get up the slide first, I take him off the slide and make him get in line or not slide.

But it can’t continue because it’s not safe. Our job is to teach them boundaries and self control. Easier said than done, right?!

But it makes them happier and you too. Here’s a great post on preventing aggressive toddler behavior.

What not to do, speaking from experience

What hasn’t worked at 2 years old (give or take half a year) is time out or speaking harshly. It ends up being a harder problem to get them to stay put or stop howling from a pack n play.

And then they are just mad about being stuck, and you can’t address the hitting that happened 3 minutes ago because it’s been long forgotten.

Try to deal with toddler hitting privately

Another thing that often doesn’t work well for me is to try and work through it while other people are watching. The spotlight is NOT good for mom or toddler.

This has been a challenge for me as a mom when grandparents visit and are watching.

It opens up the door for a toddler to become embarrassed and feel like they have to perform or test you in front of people (maybe in-laws, siblings, friends, or strangers out in public). Plus, it also puts you on the spot to in an already volatile situation.

When possible, I always to try to take my child to another quiet room (or out of the park for a moment) so there is no pressure on me or them to have it figured out or “be right” in front of others.

Stay consistent

You got this mama! Don’t give up, even if it means trying out something new or seems to be taking longer than you think.

Stay calm, set your boundaries every time, and reassure them that you love them! There are a lot of emotions in that little body.

Toddler parenting book recommendations

If you want a book to help you understand and better discipline your toddler, I purchased and loved “No Bad Kids: Toddler Discipline Without Shame”

While I don’t follow all her advice, I found it helpful and like that it utilizes a lot of natural consequences for teaching toddlers.

Another book to try is called Busy Toddler’s Guide To Actual Parenting . I haven’t read this one, but keep my eye on Susie’s parenting advice on Instagram and love her preschool program.

She is a GEM that’s full of great tips for parents of toddlers and can help you through those tough years!

If you’re considering homeschooling be sure to check out how we homeschool preschool and come check out my YouTube channel!

Matt

Monday 8th of August 2022

Hi,

My 3 year old has been doing this for over a year now. We've tried it all... more often than not a firm hand hold and calm "we do not hit". We've tried time out but it does tend to escalate and about 30 time out incidents I after 2-3 weeks he was still refusing to sit on the step, wpuld even hit us when triggered (trigger below) and say - I sit on the step, with a smile.

Toddlers trigger is transitions. For about over a year, we haven't been able to tell him it's time for x, y, z without him shouting no, hitting and kicking and generally thrashing before We've even finished the sentence. We have been firm but calm, NEVER give in and always follow through, but literally around 16 months into this I am losing any sense that it'll ever stop. Today at the sealife centre, he didn't want to see fish, leave the playground, wait for a minute while mummy snd daddy look at the stingray, literally had hitting episodes all around the park. After about the 5th hitting episode i simply carried him outside the park and ignored him. He then kept hitting me precisely on the arm saying " hit daddy. I hit daddy and now we go home". Honestly,, I'm getting to the point of being scared of him. I shower him with love, give calm boundaries (both my partner and I are teachers). Hs just SO contrary and isn't getting the message at all which seems insane to me given we have literally NEVER given in. After the sealife center he spent the car drive home proudly declaring over and over "I hit mummy and daddy".

Any advice?

Liz

Thursday 11th of August 2022

That sounds really hard. Three is just hard! It sounds like your son is about a year and a half older than the age I'm referring to in this post, meaning he's also more clever. He understands cause and effect for sure, and may possibly like the power he seems to have or attention it's bringing. I would really focus on good attention, natural consequences, and show him that you want to give him good things but that you can't when he acts like that. Shower him with love and attention as much as you can. Praise him when he listens well. He can still learn self control! You may have a strong willed child testing your every move, so definitely read my post by searching strong willed child on here. He may really like having two options when possible to help him feel a little bit more in control. For example, "It's time to leave in a few minutes. You can hold my hand or you can hold the stroller, what would you prefer?" It was a game changer for us with one of my 3 year olds. Sorry it's been such a rough year.

Kate

Sunday 26th of April 2020

Hi My 19 month old is not talking yet but has started hitting and kicking usually during diaper changes. I tell him not to hurt momma and hold his legs down. But he just continues. I like the idea of show me gentle and I try to use it if he hits but kicking or biting doesn’t seem to have a gentle equivalent. Any ideas?

Liz

Monday 27th of April 2020

Hi Kate, It's common that kids around that age start kicking during diaper changes. All mine did at some point. You know your child's intentions best, and you can still reiterate the need for him to be gentle with mom and say that kicking hurts. One thing that worked really well for me is to start saying "bottoms up" for getting the diaper under them and "bottoms down" to put a diaper back on. Then praise them when they do for being so helpful. At some point soon you also might be able to do some diaper changes standing up.

Sara

Friday 24th of April 2020

My 2 1/2 year old son is extremely strong willed, high energy and can be stubborn. He’s also in the phase of independence. He’s hit in our churches nursery (I’ve been told randomly like out of boredom). I haven’t witnessed that. He mainly hits me when he’s mad, if I won’t let him play with a pen let’s say. I’ve gotten the book hands are not for hitting. I also have been trying to hold his arms and say no hitting but then now he tries to bite me when I do that so I send him to time out to cool off and then get down to his level and talk to him about no hitting that hurts mommy and what can you do to make mommy feel better and then we hug and I tell him I love him. I don’t think time out has been effective but I don’t know what else to do when he is hitting, biting and I can’t get him to calm down by just saying no hitting try to breathe or stump your feet. Ive also tried to just ignore him but he will keep hitting me until he gets my attention. I know a lot of his actions are attention seeking. I just am back and forth how to handle the no hitting bc it’s been going on for awhile. Any advice? Thanks!

Liz

Friday 24th of April 2020

Hi Sara, While remembering that this is just a phase and that it's normal, here's a few ideas for you. He is testing the limits that's for sure. At his age he understands well. First off, ask yourself if he's doing this around nap time or when he's overly tired or hungry. Emotions run high then and it's hard to expect much of a toddler till those things are taken care of. Next, make sure that you are not giving him what he is hitting you for, until he is able to ask nicely. If he begins to hit you because he wants a pen, or wants you to look at him, tell him he cant do that (which I'm sure you do), and then show him how he can get your attention (or model in a sweet voice, "pen please". Have him practice that, and cheer when he does it. I'm sorry you are frustrated, it's a long process. The more you can be around him to consistently confront hitting at this stage the faster it will stop.

Vanessa Solano

Wednesday 22nd of April 2020

Hi, I really appreciate this, I have a 14 month old baby girl and she hits me for no reason most of the time. I try many ways to let her know she shouldn't do it but she's like I don't care. I'll put these tips in practice and hopefully she'll understand, than you so much.

mary

Thursday 19th of March 2020

Overall this was great advice! especially the part about telling children what they can do not always what they can’t do. Developmentally one of the reasons toddlers hit is because they don’t have all their language skills yet and they are communicating that way. So it is a good idea to work on talking, reading and communicating with words as they transition to the next stage from infant to toddler. Reading books and identifying pictures with words helps language. Also as far as holding the child- that does work for some children- but know your child. My youngest granddaughter needed to be left alone when she was having a meltdown... and adults could hurt a child they are trying to “restrain” In the wrong way. Liked the positive discipline.

Liz

Friday 20th of March 2020

Mary thank you for all these great tips and reminders! I know these will be helpful to moms so I'm glad you posted.